Cross Creek homeowner speaks up after tree falls into bedroom

Cross Creek homeowner speaks up after tree falls into bedroom
Published: Aug. 11, 2023 at 6:42 PM EDT
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

HAMPSTEAD, N.C. (WECT) - Strong microburst winds caused a tree to crash into a master bedroom in Pender County after a storm rolled through the Cross Creek neighborhood in Hampstead on Thursday afternoon.

Winds reached 110 miles per hour and many homes saw significant damage.

“We were on vacation, in Virginia Beach. And we saw an alert on our phones. It said there was bad weather, you know, hitting right now. So we texted the neighbor and he said, Mr. Beers, it’s bad. And he sent me a picture of the tree in our house,” said Jay Beers.

Beers’ trip of rest of relaxation came to a sudden end when neighbors called to inform him the storm caused a tree to crash into his house.

“I wasn’t prepared for what I saw when I came down the street. To tell you the truth. I was thinking the whole way down the road for four hours. Oh, it’s probably not that bad. There’s probably just a little pinhole in the roof or something like that. I had no idea. When I drove around the corner and saw the mess, it was unreal,” said Beers.

The damage could take months to repair but for those who were caught in the middle of the storm, the memories will last much longer.

“I was getting ready for football practice and I noticed that the lights were flickering. And I came downstairs and I looked outside and I just saw rain blowing sideways,” said Gabe Schwery.

Schwery lives across the street from Beers and was house-sitting for him at the time of the accident.

“Got inside opened up the master bedroom and just saw the limb sticking through onto the bed,” said Schwery.

While his home may be damaged, Beers knows it could have been much worse.

“It was a blessing that we weren’t here because the tree pierced my wife’s pillow on her side of the bed. It was an absolute blessing that we weren’t here,” said Beers.

Currently, Beers and his wife are staying in an RV that was parked outside of the home during the storm.